On the rainy afternoon of July 9, ‘Funding 101’ was organized by Headstart Navi Mumbai as a part of Startup Saturday. The panelists were

• Anil Amesur, Angel investor and Cofounder, Go Delight Foods
  http://www.godelight.in/
• Aditya Mishra, Cofounder, SwitchMe and Headstart Foundation
  http://switchme.in
• Randeep Lobana : Cofounder, Zoomot
  http://coolshare.zoomot.com/
• Anupam Singhal : Cofounder, BookMyBai.com
  http://www.bookmybai.com/

The speakers brought in a rich mix of expertise and personal experience on topics ranging from angel investing to networking and team building. The audience demographic consisted mostly of entrepreneurs, and was actively engaged with the speakers – Each session was peppered with detailed questions that kept bouncing around the room.

Anupam, as a cofounder of a recently funded start-up, began by speaking of his experience with NanoJobs.com and BookMyBai.com – what he learnt from each, his team and the power of advertising. He engaged readily with the crowd, often asking them for which direction they wanted the discussion to go. Most questions posed to him were regarding how he approached his investors, and how did he know if they were right for him.

Anil continued with a detailed description on angel investing and the intricacies involved. He spoke about different rounds of funding, the need for funds and cleared minute doubts from the audience. His session focused on why one should and shouldn’t raise capital and the difference between starting a business vs growing a business, and what each entails. He routinely sought for audience input, gauging their moods and elucidating his points with examples.

Aditya then took to the stage with investing gyaan. He spoke briefly upon Series A and Series B funding, dedicating most of his time to segregation of investors and putting the time needed to figure out which method works best. He also touched upon his experience working with investors such as Mohandas Pai.

Randeep spoke of his experience of being a recently funded start-up. The atmosphere took a jovial turn as he took the stage – he cracked jokes about how the idea came about and was tested using WhatsApp, he emphasized on networking, team building and funding tips with a huge smile and a serious gaze.

The audience comprised of budding entrepreneurs from different fields – as varied as bankers, HR, Tech and hardware start-ups. Each found a platform to explain their product, the services they offered and they issues they were facing to the guests and sought for their professional opinion on the same.

Interspersed with the speakers’ sessions were intense networking sessions, questions bouncing across the room. As the sun set and the lights mellowed, the conversation in the room seemed to tingle with possibility – each person being a part of something engaging and enriching. Coffee cups overflowed, business cards were exchanged, experiences talked about and ‘hacks’ spoken about.

The speakers then took part in a panel while discussing current trends in start-up funding, challenges in acquiring funding and investor point-of-views regarding e-commerce and FinTech, and Make In India. Aditya spoke of being at the ‘Make In India’ announcement, and reminiscing of the incredible atmosphere that drove grown men to tears.

As the panel ended – the networking session began with the audience bouncing on their feet. The session continued for another hour, and in a slow stream the participants began to leave with allies in their quest for eliminating annoyances and making their mark in the world.

Below are the photos of the speakers being thanked by the volunteers who made the event happen:

Aishwarya from Headstart thanking Anil Amesur from Go Delight foods.

Sagar from Headstart thanking Anupam Singhal from BookMyBai.com

Smedha Sarkar from Headstart thanking Aditya Mishra from SwitchMe

Sakshi, Community Manager of 91springboard Navi Mumbai, thanking Randeep Lobana from Zoomot

Blog by Aishwwarya Meenakshi.